By VA and HHS Announce Five Year Psychedelic Research Partnership
In July, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a five-year partnership to coordinate psychedelic research, train clinicians and prepare the VA health system to implement psychedelic treatments that may ultimately receive FDA approval.
The partnership follows an April executive order signed by President Donald Trump directing federal agencies to reduce barriers to research and speed the evaluation of psychedelic therapies for serious mental illness.
That order included a $50 million federal commitment to ibogaine research and called for greater coordination among the VA, HHS and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The VA reports involvement in 19 additional psychedelic clinical trials supported by more than $23 million in external funding.
The announcement builds on earlier VA activity, including an MDMA-assisted therapy trial launched in May for veterans with PTSD and alcohol use disorder.
Current Trials and Research Status
The VA has also launched the PIVOT trial, which will study psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression in veterans, including those who also have PTSD.
Psychedelics are not currently FDA-approved treatments for PTSD, and clinical access through the VA remains limited to research.
Studies of MDMA-assisted therapy have shown significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, yet veteran representation in major trials has been limited.
Psilocybin research for PTSD is even earlier in its development.
Ibogaine may hold potential for addiction and trauma-related conditions, while its cardiac risks make rigorous medical screening and monitoring especially important.
Therapeutic Support and Open Questions
“Access to a substance without access to a therapeutic container is not comprehensive mental health care,” said Melissa Scannell of the Indiana Psychedelic Society.
Scannell wrote that preparation, skilled support during medicine sessions and integration afterward are necessary parts of treatment.
She noted that policymakers must address who will train and supervise the workforce and whether treatment models will be culturally responsive to women, veterans of color, survivors of military sexual trauma and rural communities.
She also raised questions about whether the VA will reimburse the full course of care, including preparation and integration, or only the day a medicine is administered.
The VA’s return to federally funded psychedelic research began before the current administration, and today’s expansion reflects years of work by veterans, researchers, clinicians and bipartisan lawmakers.
